


Party Preparations

by Burgie



Series: WillowxAlex AU [3]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-16 18:37:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16500623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Louisa, Viktor, and Willow return to Louisa's home on South Hoof to get ready for the Halloween party. Willow belongs to willownorthbook and Viktor belongs to sso_Viktor7.





	Party Preparations

The trip back through the portal felt a little strange, the hairs on Louisa's arms standing on end. Fortunately, though, Lisa's hoodie meant that she didn't feel too cold. She just shivered slightly, which Willow felt.

"You okay?" Willow asked, turning in her saddle to look back at her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Louisa, deciding not to comment on the irony of Willow asking her that. Willow was the most not-okay one of the group, second only to Daine with his issues. "This mist is just a bit cold, and the noises are creepy."

"You're not wrong," said Viktor, riding ahead of them. They'd come out back where the Midsummer site had been, back when they'd really all come together as a friend group for the first time. So much had changed since then, enough that Louisa felt nostalgic just being here.

"We should probably find Trouble," said Louisa.

"Head towards the nearest scene of mass panic?" Willow asked. Louisa laughed.

"Too bad it's too risky to use the Singing Yew or one of the other Ancient Trees to look for him," said Louisa. "But he's not a Starbreed so that'd make it even harder to find him."

"True," said Willow. "So back to square one."

"Where is my horse," said Louisa. "The most commonly-asked question on Jorvik."

"Especially with you," said Viktor, giving his friend a playful smile. Louisa shrugged, feeling more comfortable as Willow rode away from the portal following Viktor.

The three friends scoured the island, looking for any sign of a bay pinto trakehner. At last, Louisa spotted his hindquarters poking out of a bush along the Silversong River towards Valedale.

"There you are," said Louisa, dismounting and marching over to her horse. She grabbed his reins, giving him a stern look. Trouble gave a friendly nicker, pulling his lips back.

Watching Louisa with her horse actually got a laugh out of Willow, which both Viktor and Louisa were happy to see. And at last, Louisa managed to get back in the saddle after checking to make sure that Trouble hadn't hurt himself in his stupidity.

"Right, now, barring any other incidents TROUBLE, we can go home," said Louisa, getting Trouble back onto the road and riding alongside Willow and Viktor.

"We should probably go to the mall first," said Viktor. "To pick up supplies."

"I'll change horses first," said Louisa. "Since Trouble can and will run away from the bus stop."

"I'll meet you girls in Jarlaheim?" Viktor asked. Louisa nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," said Willow.

After putting Trouble into the paddock (she didn't want to have to ask Daine to repair her stable again), Louisa grabbed Smokeeye and the shopping list and made her way back to Jarlaheim, where Viktor was already waiting on the seat at the bus stop. Willow hadn't arrived yet.

"I hope Willow's in the right headspace for this," said Louisa.

"Me too," said Viktor. "She seemed okay today, though."

"She did," said Louisa. "She even laughed."

Willow arrived soon after, though, dispelling their worries, and the three friends caught the bus into Jorvik City together, chatting about their plans for tonight. Shopping for the required items was pretty easy, though, Willow showing them where to get the best bargains.

"We'll get some pumpkins from Paddock Island," said Viktor. "You know, support the local farmers and all that."

"Perfect," said Louisa, nodding. "Let's get some lol-candy."

"You'll get used to the lingo change," said Willow, patting Louisa's arm.

"I'm trying," said Louisa. "I guess it's like how Vik says random Spanish words sometimes, I slip in Australian-isms."

"Kind of," said Viktor.

Somehow, on the bus ride home, the three didn't manage to eat any of the candy. Possibly because it had been strategically covered in the bags by the various paper plates and plastic cutlery and napkins. That had been Louisa's idea, being the responsible one.

"How many pumpkins do you think we'll need?" Viktor asked.

"Lots," said Louisa. Willow nodded.

"A very specific measurement," said Willow. All three of them laughed.

"I'll just leave this stuff in my apartment while we grab the pumpkins," said Viktor.

"Good idea," said Willow.

"Thanks," said Louisa, smiling at him. "We can ride back with the pumpkins on our horses, but there's every chance we'll need to pick them as well."

"The work never stops on this island," said Willow.

"True that," said Viktor as the three made their way to his apartment to put the shopping away temporarily. Once that was done, they got on their horses once more, collecting them from where they'd been grazing in the park, and headed over to Paddock Island. Sure enough, they did need to pick their own pumpkins, each taking a knife to pick the pumpkins straight from the vine and fill a box.

"Will two boxes be enough, do you think?" Viktor asked. "That's a lot of pumpkins."

"I guess. And if it's not, we can just pop back over and grab some more," said Louisa.

"Yeah," said Willow, nodding. Fortunately, Smokeeye and Rebel had rather steady gaits, so the boxes of pumpkins stayed balanced nicely on their hindquarters. Viktor rode alongside them with Phantom, the shopping stuffed into their bulging saddlebags.

Arriving at Louisa's house on South Hoof, the horses were turned out into the pasture (Rebel was greeted like an old friend while Phantom was given his space) while the three riders went inside, putting the shopping down in the kitchen first before struggling with the pumpkins.

"That should be plenty for the carving and the food," said Louisa, looking at the large amount of pumpkins that now sat on the island bench in her kitchen.

"Hope so," said Viktor, cracking his back. Louisa looked at him knowingly, possibly feeling the slight twinge of pain from his back. It wasn't bad, just uncomfortable from bending over pumpkins all day and having his wings pressed to his back.

Cooking came first, Louisa supplying aprons to her two fellow cooks. Willow might not be as good a cook as her two friends, but she was still willing to help in whatever way she could. Louisa just had to hide the peanuts and peanut butter from her.

"First up since it takes the longest, pumpkin pie," said Louisa, cracking open her recipe book and finding the recipe for pumpkin pie. "And then we'll do some of the spooky treats and every other pumpkin thing."

"Your girlfriend's from America, is pumpkin spice really that big over there in fall?" Willow asked.

"Apparently," said Louisa. "It's not that big at home but of course, Halloween happens in spring back home so it's different."

"So we have three people who know nothing about Halloween in charge of making the food," said Willow.

"I know a little about it," said Viktor. "I used to go trick or treating all the time as a kid. My mama loved it." For a brief moment, he looked sad. But it passed as he grabbed one of the pumpkins and picked up a knife to begin cutting into it.

"We'll manage somehow," said Louisa. "Besides, food's easy."

"That it is," said Viktor.

Over the course of the rest of the day, Louisa's kitchen quickly became filled with the pleasant scents of cooking food. Mostly pumpkin-flavoured. Louisa looked a little creeped-out by some of the more 'disgusting' treats, though.

"They really do look like eyeballs, this is gross," said Louisa, shuddering.

"These chocolate spiders look pretty good," said Willow, reaching her hand towards one drying on the tray. Louisa and Viktor both smacked her hand away.

"Peanut butter, not allowed," said Louisa.

"Fine," said Willow, giving her a mutinous look. They'd already had to stop her from licking the bowl.

"Your stomach will thank you later," said Viktor.

"But my heart won't," said Willow. "Alright, fine, no chocolate spiders. What can I eat?"

"We probably should take a break from cooking, shouldn't we?" said Louisa. "We've been doing this for a while."

"Probably a good idea," said Viktor, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead. "Get out of this hot kitchen for a while."

"Yeah, you guys go rest in the lounge room, as you call it Louisa, and I'll bring you out some drinks and things," said Willow.

"You're going to eat a chocolate spider, aren't you?" said Louisa, her voice deadpan.

"No, I would never," said Willow, trying to look innocent despite standing very close to the tray that held them.

"Alex tried to get me to stop you from eating them," said Louisa.

"Nobody can stop me, I'm too sneaky," said Willow. Louisa would have argued, but Willow just seemed so happy.

"Alright, fine," said Louisa. "Good thing you only have a mild reaction." Willow grinned as the two friends walked out of the room, though she did at least walk over to the fridge to get out the jug of water for them.

"I forgot how hot kitchens can get," said Viktor to Louisa as they made their way into Louisa's lounge room. Unlike the one in her father's house, this one was decorated with pale grey carpet that was soft underfoot, and the couch wasn't leather but was rather a nice pale blue material, scattered with plenty of cushions.

"You can use my bathroom to stretch your wings if you want, I won't mind," said Louisa.

"Thanks but this is only temporary," said Viktor.

"What do you mean?" Louisa asked, sitting down on the couch. "You still need to go to the party. You are coming, aren't you?"

"Of course," said Viktor. "But I haven't told you my costume yet."

"Oh yeah," said Louisa. "What is it?"

"An angel," said Viktor. "I just, you know... get to supply my own wings." He gave a slow grin as Louisa gasped in delight.

"They do look like angel wings, too, just a different colour," said Louisa. "You'll just need to make them look fake somehow."

"I figure I'll just try not to move them," said Viktor. "I've gotten pretty good at that, in case you haven't noticed."

"I've noticed," said Louisa. "And yeah, you have gotten pretty good at that. I didn't know until you told me, Willow still doesn't know."

"I've had plenty of practice," said Viktor. Louisa gave him a sad smile, then gave him a hug. She couldn't imagine how hard it must be, to hide your difference when it manifested so physically.

"I'm missing out on a love fest in here," said Willow, walking into the lounge room with a jug of water and two glasses on a tray. She also had some of the snacks to try. There was a bit of chocolate in the corner of her mouth.

"Yeah, sorry," said Louisa, pulling away from Viktor. "You can have a hug too if you want."

"I will accept that," said Willow, leaning in to accept a hug from both of her friends. Stepping back, she began scratching at her arm.

"Don't eat too many, you'll make yourself sick," said Louisa, picking up a pumpkin scone. There were also pumpkin cookies cooling in the kitchen, waiting to be frosted.

"I won't," said Willow. "I do still want to come to this party tonight, and I have to go home and get my costume ready."

"Yeah, so do I," said Viktor. He took a sip of his water and picked up a pumpkin scone, raising an eyebrow as Louisa slathered Vegemite on her scone.

"What?" said Louisa, looking at him. "It's delicious."

"I'll take your word for it," said Willow.

After a break in which they ate and drank and chatted, the group returned to the kitchen, needing to finish the food for tonight. Louisa had found plenty of pumpkin recipes in her book, but Willow had also found plenty of good ones online. Viktor was more than happy to help cook them, too.

"We're gonna get so fat from eating all this," said Willow as she stood back and looked at the spread that covered every surface in the kitchen. The cookies were currently on the island bench, where they could be frosted.

"We'll work it off in horse training," said Louisa.

"True," said Viktor, nodding.

When it came to frosting the cookies, Viktor's seemed the neatest. Louisa was too nervous, her hands trembling, while Willow's skin still itched from the chocolate spiders she'd eaten. Louisa was glad that they were the only nut-bearing item here. And glad that nobody had any more dire food allergies.

"Now, who's going to wash all of this up?" Louisa asked after the last cookie had been iced. All three of them had frosting on their hands, along with flour and the general mess that came from working with food all day.

"I'll do it," said Willow, moving over to the kitchen sink and the pile of dirty dishes. "You guys have been cooking all day, you need a rest."

"But you still need to put your makeup on," said Louisa. "For your costume."

"It's still daylight outside," said Willow, gesturing out the window. "Invite someone over to help and you two go rest."

"Fine," said Louisa, though she still felt a little guilty. She'd made all of this mess, she should help clean it up. "I can dry the dishes for you if you want, though."

"Don't make me lock you in your bedroom, because I'll do it," said Willow. Louisa laughed, remembering when she'd said the same thing to Willow back when Willow had been working herself too hard. She still couldn't decide if that was better than this numbness. Probably not.

"Okay but you literally asked for this," said Louisa. She left the room with Viktor, already trying to think of who to call to help clean up.

"So, that character you're going as, who is he?" Viktor asked.

"She," Louisa corrected. "Blake Belladonna, from RWBY. It's a show Eden and I watch. She's a cat girl."

"Oh?" said Viktor, grinning. "Do you need to borrow a pair of cat ears? Because I have some."

"That doesn't surprise me," said Louisa. Viktor wasn't offended, he could tease Louisa just as well.

"I'm surprised you don't have any, though," said Viktor.

"I might also need to borrow a collar," said Louisa. Viktor blushed, his mouth opening and closing in shock.

"I deserved that," said Viktor.

"You did," said Louisa, giving him a polite smile. "But seriously, do you really have a pair of cat ears?"

"Which colour?" Viktor asked.

"Black," said Louisa. "Actually, here." She grabbed her phone, scrolling through her pictures before she found the picture that she was looking for. "This is Blake, my favourite emo cat girl."

"Does Lisa ever dress up like her?" Viktor asked.

"Yes," said Louisa quickly and quietly, blushing. "She just doesn't have the cat ears. We lost them."

"There are worse things to lose," said Viktor. "I'll bring them over, though."

"Thanks," said Louisa. "You go home and get ready if you want."

"I will, but only to get some decorations," said Viktor. "It's not going to take me long to get ready."

"Alright, have fun," said Louisa. "Remember the cat ears."

"Thanks for not telling me to clean them," said Viktor.

"I trust you to remember," said Louisa. "And I know you're not a pervert."

"Thanks," said Viktor.

While Viktor returned home, Louisa relaxed on the couch in her lounge room with a book, listening to Willow and Alex in the kitchen chatting and laughing as they washed the dishes, though Louisa was willing to bet that they were washing each other as much as they were washing the dishes. She didn't mind, though. They were having fun.

"The washing up is done," Alex announced, flopping down onto the couch after Louisa had read through a few chapters of her book.

"Finally," said Willow, sitting on the other side of Louisa. "Why did you and Viktor have to have a flour fight?"

"It's tradition," said Louisa, shrugging. "Besides, I seem to recall you getting in on it too."

"I was just the reason for it," said Willow at Alex's raised eyebrow. "I started looking for the peanut butter cookies."

"Willow!" Alex chastised, reaching across Louisa to smack her girlfriend's elbow. "Stop it, no wonder you were itching the whole time we were trying to wash up."

"But Louisa's cookies are so good, I can't resist," said Willow, still scratching at her forearm.

"I have some cream for those rashes," said Louisa. "She ate at least two chocolate spiders, too."

"Willow," said Alex with a sigh, shaking her head.

"Thanks for washing up for me," said Louisa.

"Vik gone home?" Willow asked.

"Yeah," said Louisa, nodding. "He's getting some decorations for me, and some last-minute pieces for his costume. And my costume."

"Ooh, speaking of, I should get home and start getting my costume ready," said Willow. "That makeup is going to take ages to do."

"I'm so glad you're going with my idea," said Louisa, grinning at her.

"It was a good one," said Willow.

"You'll never guess my one, though," said Alex, winking. Willow laughed, always a delight to see.

"I'm looking forward to seeing it anyway," said Louisa. "I've never really had a Halloween party like this before. It's not like girl world Halloween but it's also not like real world Halloween."

"It's kind of a mix," said Alex. "Your one is pretty girl world, though."

"I just really like that character," said Louisa, blushing. Alex smirked at her.

"Oh, Lisa's told me all about it," said Alex. "Anyway." She straightened up, putting her hand on Willow's knee. "Come along, girlfriend of mine, we have to get ready for this party."

"But I just sat down," said Willow. Alex stood, grabbing hold of Willow's hands and trying to pull her to her feet. Willow made a noise of protest, not moving.

"Hey, you're the one who said you had to get your makeup done," said Louisa.

"Fine," said Willow, rolling her eyes. She allowed Alex to pull her to her feet, stumbling slightly as Alex tugged her in her eagerness. "I'll see you tonight!"

"Bye!" Louisa called with a grin and a wave.

Viktor returned not long after, bringing with him bags of Halloween decorations.

"Here you go," said Viktor, gently tossing Louisa the pair of black cat ears on a headband.

"Thanks," said Louisa, catching them and putting them on over her hair. "Sweet, they fit."

"I thought they would," said Viktor. "Just remember to give them back, okay?"

"Of course," said Louisa, taking the cat ears off. "I've got my wig and contact lenses and everything, I'm ready to go now. Too bad I don't exactly have the body for Blake, though."

"I'm sure you'll look fine," said Viktor.

"Thanks," said Louisa, grinning at him. She stood from the couch. "Now, let's get this house decorated."

"Want to each do one part?" Viktor asked. "I'll do the outside, you do the inside?"

"Yep," said Louisa, nodding. "Sounds like a plan." They shook hands on it, then divided up the decorations and set to work.

Between the two of them, the house was soon decorated. There were decorative lanterns (lit by small candles) just outside the front door and around the small backyard, garlands depicting ghosts, bats, and pumpkins were strung up everywhere, there were even some small electric plastic jack o lanterns scattered about the house. The only thing missing was fake blood (too gorey) and cobwebs (spiders, as Louisa was always explaining to the Americans, were serious business back home and not to be trifled with).

"I think it looks pretty good," said Louisa, standing back and looking at how they'd decorated. She even had a projector set up outside to display various Halloween designs on the door and front of the house.

"For a non-American, you did pretty good," said Viktor, patting her on the back. Louisa smiled.

"Thanks," said Louisa. "Now all that's left is our costumes."

"See you tonight," said Viktor.

"Good luck," said Louisa. Viktor wasn't sure if she was just referring to keeping his wings straight, or if she had any idea just how much he'd need that luck. But he'd already said that he was going to do it, now he had to go through with it.

Tonight would be fun.


End file.
